


care for me

by playboinotcarti



Category: One Piece
Genre: Books, Gen, mentions of ace & sabo, platonic, robin cares about luffy, she reads to him bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:54:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28762902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playboinotcarti/pseuds/playboinotcarti
Summary: spoiler to marinefordas robin read to him, luffy felt his lips curl into a smile. she didn't read in the same way as his brother, no, her voice was tender and sweet, articulating each word in a manner that luffy associated with that of a teacher- not that luffy had ever been to school, but he had his own assumptions.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Nico Robin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	care for me

**Author's Note:**

> care for me- saba.

“neh, robin, what does that mean?” luffy inquired, wide eyes full of wonder glancing up at her. a small smile sat on her lips as she answered the young captain’s question. 

luffy always asked a lot of questions, especially when robin read to him. there were words he didn't understand, and sometimes he'd ask questions which had been purposely planted in the reader's mind by the skilful writers. and robin was sure to answer each and everyone one of them. 

she never responded with a condescending tone. she rather enjoyed replying to his queries, she found it endearing the way his head would tilt slightly to the side and his mouth would form a small ‘o’ before breaking into one of his notorious smiles. 

x

luffy liked hearing robin’s stories. they were different to usopp’s in a multitude of ways; the main one being that they weren't told as dramatically. but it didn't deter luffy. in a way, robin's storytelling had an essence of nostalgia to it, reminding him of makino who'd tell luffy about all sorts while she cleaned the bar. she'd speak about the interesting customers she'd met, fill his mind with her limited knowledge on what was across the ocean, beyond the horizon. they only encouraged the young boy’s already extensive imagination, creating and building up on desires he had for his future as a great- no, the greatest- pirate. 

x

the crew were at the table, eating the array of food prepared by sanji. usopp was telling yet another fabricated story, his voice dripping with exaggeration that made chopper cling onto every one of his words. luffy had been occasionally listening in, caught between paying attention and a light conversation with zoro. “ah! robin!” luffy enthusiastically threw an arm up, waving it about clumsily to draw her attention.

“usopp’s story!” he added as she turned her undivided attention to her captain. the words were rushing in his mind, tumbling out of his mouth in bursts of uncontrollable excitement. “it's like the one you read yesterday, no?” a smile adorned robin's face. it warmed her heart. luffy struggled to absorb information, finding himself easily bored and distracted. but he'd listened to her stories. 

“yes, luffy-kun, it is.” 

x

“this reminds me of one i've heard before.” luffy commented, randomly interrupting robin's reading. “oh, sorry, sorry.” he giggled an apology upon the realisation. “what was it about? maybe i'll recognise it.” she questioned while noting the page number before shutting the book and placing it on the table beside her. luffy pursed his lips and looked off to the side, deep in thought. he puffed up his cheeks and they deflated as he opened his mouth to speak. “can't remember.” 

but he kept thinking about it the entire day; he attempted to dig up the memories as he fished alongside chopper and usopp, he zoned out in conversations with franky, desperately trying to remember. 

the two girls of the ship had been sunbathing and conversing casually, all while enjoying sanji’s accommodation of snacks and drinks, prepared exclusively for them. 

“what do you think about this skirt? i was thinking of buying it at the next island we reach.” nami tilted the magazine to face robin, pointing at said item. “i'm sure it would look very cute on you, nam–” “robin!” 

the pirate captain had flung himself across the ship to reach her, landing not so gracefully. he jumped up to his feet, avoiding a sharp kick from sanji. “oi, crap captain, it's rude to interrupt beautiful ladies when they're talki–” 

“i remembered it, the story that ace used to tell me about!” the mention of his brother caused sanji to stop his lecture and a small silence to fall over the crew. ace wasn't mentioned much, still a touchy topic they avoided, not comfortable enough to approach. 

“really? that's great! tell me and i'll see if i've heard of it.” robin spoke of, diffusing the tension as quickly as it'd appeared. luffy practically bounced towards her, bubbling with exhilaration. 

he sat on the end of her sun-bed, rocking back and forth as he babbled about the details he could hazily recall. 

to his disappointment, robin didn't know it. but she assured him that all hope wasn't lost, the library had a large collection of books which she had yet to fully explore. 

x

the thousand sunny stopped at a small island and majority of the crew dispersed, each having things they needed. all except franky who stayed aboard to deal with any repairs, along with brook who took the free time to indulge in musical writing. luffy dragged zoro along with him, the two exploring the unknown town together. the rest had shopping to do, going together before eventually splitting off into smaller groups with similar intentions. 

to nami’s dismay, robin had gone along with chopper. sanji took it upon himself to escort her, claiming her couldn't leave a lady alone in an unfamiliar environment- as well as any excuse to be with his beloved nami. 

“what kind of books are you looking for?” chopper questioned, looking up to robin who led him towards a bookshop, following the directions of citizens. “nothing in particular, maybe something related to history.” she replied. 

robin had already found the texts she wanted and so waited patiently beside chopper who explored the medical books he'd never seen before. the store owner approached them with a welcoming smile, asking if she could help them in any way. 

“actually, yes. i'm looking for a certain book.” 

x

the two returned to the sunny, robin holding the bag in one hand and chopper’s hoof in the other. 

“everyone’s here, except those two…” nami groaned. “it's possible zoro-san got lost.” brook suggested. “knowing luffy, he probably caused some sort of trouble,” usopp sighed. “and knowing zoro, he wouldn't stop luffy.” the sniper’s stomach flipped with anxiety and his chest ached with ‘fear-of-luffy's-antics-itis’, something the crew often suffered. 

“we're back!” luffy announced at the top of his lungs with zoro by his side, wincing at the volume of his voice. “we got food, and then we went around the island. did you know there's a _zoo_? well there's a zoo and they have so many animals! they had tigers, not as big as the ones in the forest back home though.” luffy went on and on about his day he'd spent with his swordsman. 

robin listened to the ongoing tale which recurringly went off on random tangents. 

“luffy-kun, i found something while with chopper and thought you'd take interest to it.” luffy's eyes widened at her words. she handed him a book with a colourful cover. he scanned the title and his eyes lit up with joy. in an instant, robin was caught in a rubbery embrace which she tentatively returned. “thank you.” luffy's voice was soft and muffled against her shoulder. 

“want me to read it to you?” 

x

the two sat in the grass under the warmth of the gentle sun. 

“he would read it when i was upset, it always cheered me up because he and sabo would put on funny voices for each character.” luffy laughed to himself, the fond memory making his heart clench slightly. 

as robin read to him, luffy felt his lips curl into a smile. she didn't read in the same way as his brother, no, her voice was tender and sweet, articulating each word in a manner that luffy associated with that of a teacher- not that luffy had ever been to school, but he had his own assumptions. 

the crew continued as usual, each pursuing their own personal tasks, not daring to interrupt the pair. every so often, they would glance over with endearment before returning to whatever they'd been doing previously. 

robin lifted her focus from the page over to her captain, being met with a heartwarming smile that embodied sunshine. she did that from time to time to check whether luffy was focusing or if his attention had wandered. she was attentive, knowing his characteristics well. 

“why'd you stop?” he asked, batting his big brown eyes in a childish and almost animated manner. “sorry captain. now, where was i?” “hmm… it was the bit where—”

x

the book was added to a shelf in the library which had been dedicated to 'luffy's books’. he greatly appreciated the gesture and was keen to grow the collection, along with his archaeologist, of course. 

**[jan,21]**

**Author's Note:**

> idk man just the idea of robin reading to luffy seemed wholesome.
> 
> named after the album care for me, by saba. i love it sm.


End file.
